Bespoke

James is a UK based sculptor who provides bespoke services to clients nationally and internationally. James works predominantly in stainless steel, using other materials such as CorTen steel when appropriate or at the request of the client. The use of a wider range of materials is available as well.

All fabrication and finishing is done by hand to create high quality individualised works suitable for any environment or location.

Although the sculptures in the current portfolio on this site use the language of zeros and ones in their construction, future sculptural projects are not limited to this language.

James is happy to design and build any sculptural form, using more traditional methods if desired and other materials where appropriate.

The portfolio below contains images of his stainless steel sculptures, metal garden sculptures, commissioned public art, corporate art, metal wall art as well as functional items such as sculptural lighting.

Design

All sculptural objects, large or small, are the result of a reflexive process of ideas, observations, designs, reflection and redesign.

The different stages of the process of creating any given sculptural object may include sketches, drawings, maquettes of clay, polystyrene or card, 2D / 3D CAD drawings and of course input and feedback from the client or concerned parties where appropriate.

As each and every sculpture has an effect on and is effected by its environment, James ideally prefers to discuss the clients needs in person and at the same time see the space the sculpture is intended to be placed.

When this is not possible, due to time or geographical location, E-mail, Skype and Webex online meetings allow James to communicate effectively with his clients.

Using these tools, all interested parties are able to talk in real time, share images, discuss ideas, review designs and work colaberativly to help create site specific sculptural works, suitable for any environment or location.

Fabrication

The majority of our fabrication work is done in-house using the most modern cutting, welding and polishing machines. As well as a Tecarc plasma cutter, we have the capability to weld a wide range of metals including aluminum and other alloys using AC/DC TIG, MIG and ARC welders from TecArc and Ewm, Using properly set, good quality machines results in strong, high quality welds which reduces production time while increasing durability.

When it comes to making your sculptures shine we use, among our other tools, top of the range Fein power tools from Germany, which are specifically designed for professionals working with stainless steel where the fit and finish of the work can be critical.

Sometimes it is not possible for us to fabricate parts in- house, for example when specific shaped Laser cut parts may be required for a given project. In this case we work closely with a local firm who are experienced with working on creative projects.

We believe sculptures should be touched so there are no sharp corners or edges and all finishing is done by hand to create high quality sculptural works that will stand the test of time.

Client Led Design

"Origns" King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 2013

Some clients come to James with a brief or an outline detailing what they are looking for, for example this could be a request for a dark figure standing with arms outstretched, or a request for a mirror with metal surround of specific dimensions.

Other times they may simply have an idea like “movement” or a theme such as “football”. Sometimes the client may have ideas about how they would like the sculpture to look but may not be able to articulate those ideas to James.

During the initial design stages, James will liaise frequently with the client or concerned parties to work through what it is that they are looking for, advising on how different designs may be interpereted within any given space if needed. For larger scale pieces James will also liase with architects, engineers and other advisers as appropriate.

This process may include meetings, taking photographs, both parties making sketches and James making digital drawings based on the initial conversations. As the process develops, drawings and designs will be reworked and refined until a final design, cost and timeframe has been agreed by all parties.

Site Specific Sculpture

"Beyond The edge of Reason", Salisbury Cathedral, UK. 2010

Sometimes a client will come to us with a space they would like to fill with a sculpture. This could be an indoor space, an outdoor space, an atrium or a wall space.

When the client has no pre-conceived ideas of how they wish to use the space or what they are looking for, James has the ability to respond to the designated space and design a piece or pieces that work in harmony with is surroundings.

Again, this process may include meetings, taking photographs, digital sketching and drawings. James will liaise regularly with the client as his ideas progress and as the process develops, drawings and designs will be reworked and refined until a final design, cost and timeframe has been agreed by all parties involved in the decision making process.

James always enjoys the opportunity to explore his own creativity, through projects with open briefs, where he can play with the ideas related to his interests whithin new contexts. His hope is to always create new and exciting experiences for the future visitors of these spaces.

Biography

James is fascinated by our ever changing notion of consciousness. By creating forms that juxtapose the scientific with the spiritual, the philosophical with the biological, James explores our belief systems and the systems within the mind/body that create our experience of the universe. The interrelated concepts of unity; opposites; balance; the internal and external; micro and macrocosms; the self and the soul are also examined through his sculptural work.

James’s recent sculptures involve the use of “zeros” and “ones” that can be seen as a metaphor for mutually dependent dualities such as on-off, male-female, all-nothing. By combining this visual language with a variety of forms, James attempts to further question our notion of consciousness.

The binary system used in todays modern computers was created to represent human logic and emotion by German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Leibniz, who believed that the zero and the one represented nothingness and God.

Residencies and teaching

Throughout his career James has had the oportunity to take part in several residencies, mainly within the education sector. In 2009 James was invited to be the first artist in residence at St Marys’ School in Calne. Throughout the academic year James worked with the students on a range of creative projects whilst also continuing his own sculptural practice.

Other residencies and community arts works, that James has ben involved with include: Tockington Manor school, Cadoxton House, St Peters primary School, Sheldon School and Redrow Homes Schools Partnership Project.

Whilst teaching 3D design and media to students of all ages at City of Bath College, James was also responsible for setting up and managing the Level 1 Art and Design course.